


Blood and Shadows

by Tybir



Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassins & Hitmen, Blood, Dark, M/M, Self-Destruction, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 12:31:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8102503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tybir/pseuds/Tybir
Summary: An assassin plots against the Regent King. Darker fic than my usual work, but happy ending as always.





	

It was not unusual to hear hushed conversations within the castle after dark. A bit of a night owl at times, Lothar often stumbled across servants, guards or other residents of the castle speaking quietly in the dark, often about rather ordinary things but on the odd occasion he would overhear something a little more interesting. As he made his way through the courtyard at the rear of the castle, he heard the hushed tones of a whispered conversation and his eyes were able to make out a pair of shadowy figures in the far corner.

While Lothar would normally have ignored such an event, the sharp tones the being whispered drew his attention, and the Regent King thought it prudent to keep himself hidden lest he draw unwanted attention from the pair. Concealing himself behind a pillar, he listened intently to what snippets of the conversation he could make out. The figure most deeply enshrouded by the darkness near the courtyard’s far entrance appeared to be berating the cloaked figure in front of him. Lothar could have sworn that he heard his name, and he strained to hear more. The few words he heard began to send chills down his spine, and he reached for the hilt of his sword just to reassure himself that it was there.

“...your contract, brother. I understand, but the night... does not distinguish. It is not for us to judge... most loyal, I know you would not betray...”  
“Forgive me master, I grew distracted. I will fulfil my contract tonight, before dawn,” the cloaked figure responded quietly.  
“See that you do, you know the price for failure.”  
“I know.”  
“I expect to hear of Anduin Lothar’s death by morning.”  
The cloaked figure’s final response was too quiet for Lothar to hear.

Lothar felt anger wash over him. How dare they plot his demise from the shadows, sending assassins to do their dirty work. He would make quick work of this pair, of that he was certain. Before he could move however, the dark figure in the far corner departed suddenly, melding away into the shadows while the cloaked figure turned and strode towards an archway that led into the interior of the castle. Lothar made to follow him but stopped abruptly when the cloaked man entered the light, unknowingly revealing his identity to his apparent contract. The cloaked figure was Khadgar.

 

Medivh had betrayed him in the tower of Karazhan, revealing himself as the one who brought chaos and war to their world. Garona had betrayed him when she slid a knife into the neck of his brother in law. His best friends, his family, all were gone, all except his sister Taria and the mage Khadgar. Khadgar, the one who had helped him slay the demon. The one who had fought at his side against the orc invaders. The one who had wormed his way into his life when everyone else seemed to be leaving it.

Khadgar, the one who must have come to the barracks that fateful day not to help the slain soldiers he wished to search, but to get close to him. To slay him. If the fel had not been present that day, Lothar had no doubt that he would be dead with a knife in his back. The fel must have distracted Khadgar, but now that the demon was banished, it seemed the deceptively baby faced mage was planning to finally fulfil his contract.

Taking a deep breath, Lothar knew what he had to do. Drawing his dagger from its sheath and carefully concealing it behind his sleeve, the warrior made his way carefully towards Khadgar’s quarters. Lothar knew he was no match for a spell casting mage, so it was important that Khadgar not realise that his target knew of his intentions. He had to get behind the mage quietly and end him before he knew what was going on. If he could silence him first, talk to him... if he could talk to him, it would get him killed for sure. Deception was a common trait found in assassins, especially the shadowy kind who called each other “master” and “brother”. Khadgar was no common blade for hire.  

 

Lothar paused outside Khadgar’s bedroom door and took a deep breath to steady himself. He gently pushed the door open and slid inside quietly, footsteps light as he sought to catch the mage unawares. His eyes darted around the room searchingly and he paused at the sight of Khadgar’s boots lying on the far side of the bed. At first he thought they had been discarded there, but when one moved he realised that they were still on the mage; he was lying on the floor.

Moving quickly but quietly towards the bed, Lothar dropped his dagger the moment he saw what lay on the other side. Khadgar was lying on his side, blood steadily flowing from his arm, black assassin’s dagger lying discarded in front of him. His face was pale and his glassy eyes were staring forwards, and for one horrid moment Lothar thought he must be dead in spite of the fact that his foot had just moved a moment ago.

Lothar leapt forward and crouched in front of him, grabbing his arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Khadgar jerked slightly in surprise, his dark eyes lifting to stare at Lothar’s shocked face.  
“Khadgar, what have you done?” The words fell out of Lothar’s mouth without permission.  
“I love you.” Khadgar’s voice was devoid of emotion but his eyes still locked onto Lothar’s.  
“What... no, no you didn’t have to do this, it will be ok, Khadgar...” Lothar felt himself starting to panic. He immediately clamped down on his emotions, his soldier instincts kicking in as his hands began to move without thought.

 

Lothar was wearing thick leather but the mage’s undershirt was easy to reach and tear. Lothar tore off a strip of cloth, quickly wrapping it around the wound. He raised the arm to decrease blood flow to the area, placing it on a pillow pulled from the bed. He then retrieved the obsidian dagger in addition to his own discarded weapon, quickly hiding both on his person before he ran out of the room in search of someone to fetch a healer.

When Lothar returned only moments later, Khadgar’s eyes were closed and for another horrible moment, Lothar thought he was gone. But his chest was still moving and Lothar knelt down to place his shaking hand onto a cold, clammy cheek. Khadgar opened his eyes and looked up at him, the pain clear in his expression.  
“Lothar, please...” he tried to move his arm off the pillow but Lothar used his other hand to secure it. “No, you don’t understand...” The mage struggled to remain conscious.  
“It’s alright now Khadgar, it’s ok, everything will be ok,” Lothar tried to reassure him.  
“No, they will find me, they will cut me, into a hundred little pieces. It will be a torturous end, I don’t want... please, please don’t let...” Khadgar head lolled back mid sentence and Lothar placed both hands on his face, begging him to be alright.

Firm hands were soon pulling him away, tending to Khadgar’s wound, holy light surging from strong fingers as they attempted to mend the broken mage. Taria was there beside him, though how or why he wasn’t sure, and his eyes were full of unshed tears that he fought valiantly against. Even if they managed to save Khadgar... one way or another, one of them wasn’t going to live.

 

When Khadgar’s master returned, he planted a knife in the back of one of Lothar’s trusted guardsmen. Lothar would have had his throat slit if he hadn’t known the assassin was coming. It was Varis who hid in the closet behind the Regent King, peeking out through the thin slats at the back of his friend and commander. Lothar was sitting on the chair beside his bed, Khadgar’s sleeping form tucked under the blankets out of view. Lothar figured the easiest way to protect both himself and Khadgar was for them to stick together, with Karos guarding the window and Varis in position for the kill should the assassin slip past the guards outside.

The quiet sound of plate being gently laid on the floor was the only thing signalling the death of the guardsmen. The master assassin was skilled, and leaving nothing to chance. He had come for his wayward apprentice, and he had come for the Regent King. Entering the room swiftly, he moved with an ethereal grace and made it far closer to Lothar than anyone would have liked. Lothar didn’t even have time to turn around before the assassin was on him, but fortunately his movement made the other pause just long enough for Varis to barrel out of the closet with his sword in hand.

It would have been too dangerous to let the assassin live. They found Lothar’s contract on his body. While the one they had found earlier in Khadgar’s rucksack was clearly a copy, the seal on the master assassin’s contract indicated it was the original. With both scrolls burned the threat to Lothar’s life was over. With the secretive burial of the master assassin, the threat to Khadgar’s life was too.

 

Khadgar slept through the entire ordeal, heavily drugged by the priests who sought to ease his discomfort while he recovered. When he finally awoke it was dark, and he was wrapped up in blankets in an unfamiliar bed. Lothar lay next to him, watching him with a fondness that made Khadgar’s heart feel warm.  
“You’re safe now, he’s gone,” Lothar said quietly.  
“Gone?” Khadgar asked.  
“Buried. He can’t hurt you anymore.”  
“The contract?”  
“Burned. Both copies. I trust there were no more?”

Khadgar shook his head in response. Despite being told he was finally safe and free, he still appeared distressed. Lothar placed a comforting hand on the mage’s shoulder.  
“Never scare me again like that Khadgar. I care about you too much.”  
“I loved him, you know,” Khadgar replied quietly.  
“Your master?” Lothar frowned.  
“Yes. He took me in when no one else would. Fed me when I was hungry, sheltered me when I was cold. Nurtured the darkness in me. He never judged. I admired him.”    
“You loved him,” Lothar repeated, unsure of what else to say.  
“I did,” Khadgar confirmed. “He was my master. I wanted to give nothing but loyalty.”  
“You would mourn the one who would kill you?”  
“Would you have mourned me?” Khadgar raised his eyes to meet Lothar’s gaze for the first time during their conversation.

 

“Of course. Of course I would. I…”  
“You?”  
“I love you. You said earlier that you loved me.”  
“I do.”  
“Like your master?”  
“No. In a different way.”  
“Did you lie with him?”  
“No. I think I would have, if he’d asked. It wouldn’t have been what I wanted, but I would have.”  
“Would you lie with me?”  
“Yes.” Khadgar held his gaze steadily now.  
“Would it be what you want?”  
“Yes. Always.”

Lothar gazed into Khadgar’s dark eyes as though he were trying to see into the mage’s very soul. Gentle caressing his face, the Regent King leant forward and locked their lips together in a passionate kiss. Whether it was wise to lie with his own assassin, Lothar wasn’t sure. It almost certainly wasn’t. But Khadgar had proven he would rather take his own life than slay his dearest friend. Lothar was not one to dwell on the past, no matter how dark Khadgar’s seemed to be. Everyone had their secrets, and while some ran deeper than most, Lothar was unprepared to lose another so close to him.

When they awoke the next morning, limbs tangled and hair mussed, the world seemed a much lighter place.


End file.
